Topic: Moving on to the Next-Gen 3DS System

For years now, I have been enjoying my old 3DS, which I think I got back in October 2011. Haven't really been playing much recently, but if there was a game that took my interest, that was when I would be back playing on the system. Ever since I got the Wii U at the beginning of 2013, the 3DS was starting to be avoided. When new 3DS games came out, I would play them, but immediately return to the Wii U to play the next game. Eventually the 3DS was practically ignored, not caring much about the news of any new game. Although I did eventually pick up a new game now and than.

When the New 3DS systems was announced or released, I didn't care about them, as my old 3DS is still good and I don't really see wasting money just for a new system to have Amiibo support or a C-stick. However, after playing games on the Wii U GamePad (and now the Nintendo Switch), the 3DS just seems a little small for me now. (Yes, I don't own an XL.) With some recently new and exciting 3DS games coming out this year, I have decided to refocus my mind on the 3DS. Except my 3DS looks so small, I decided to get a new 3DS system. And luckily the New Nintendo 2DS XL is out recently, and took my interest in getting.

After a long time of thinking and investigating, I have decided to get the New Nintendo 2DS XL. I actually decided to get the 2DS and not a 3DS for the simple reason it lacks the 3DS feature. I did use it in the past, but eventually I stopped and got annoyed by it. Also it is good that the New 2DS XL is compact as well, which is the most displeasing thing about it's 2DS predecessors. I guess I am lucky to decide to move on at this time, when such a good system was recently released. It has many good features, extra large screens as I wanted, light weight and compact. I'll be looking forward to this when I get it.

Your all probably thinking, why is this guy telling me this? I just wanted to share my story, that's all. And it may be good to start a topic about others sharing thier stories about moving on to the Next-Gen 3DS system as well. It is very nice to listen to be people stories. If you got a nice story, someone may listen to it.

I hate to be the one popping this bubble but I think there will be a smaller sized model of the Switch instead of a direct 3DS successor unless the Switch starts sinking all of the sudden (which is why they're continuing the 3DS alongside the Switch for now).

They are not just going to have the Switch as the only console they make. I don't know why everyone seems to think the Switch is the end of the 3DS. If they weren't planning on supporting the 3DS line, they wouldn't keep releasing iterations of it.

And I..... will always love you... eh, my Older 3DS XL.
I have both Older and New 3DS XL.
With two 3DS, I can easily get Street Pass.

@Pokefanmum82 I don't know where that came from, but the 3DS is really successful as a portable gaming console. Switch may indeed be portable, but its not duel screen and it's also used to play on the TV as well.

Back when the Switch was still known as NX, I had many different thoughts about the new system. One of them was a possibility to make a TV Console play old console games (Wii and Wii U) and 3DS. As well as somehow involve the 3DS to communicate with the console as well. So I won't be surprised if the Switch somewhere along it's lifespan, will be able to play 3DS games and/or make the 3DS communicate with the console. To be honest, I think there will be a new 3DS that may be created to significantly support the Switch. But that's just my thoughts.

Everyone is saying it because the 3DS line has little reason to continue now the Switch exists. Think about it rationally for a second rather than being all starry eyed. What would a next generation portable system from Nintendo actually look like? I imagine you're picturing a 3DS with more horsepower right? Other than the second screen how is that any different from the Switch?

The way I see it Nintendo didn't replace the Wii U with the Switch. Nintendo released a 3DS successor and retired their home console line. I think everyone has it backwards. The question isn't what can the portable line do that the Switch isn't doing. The question is what reason does Nintendo have for a lower spec home console when modern portable hardware is capable of doing a good enough job

Now that doesn't mean that they're going to drop the 3DS overnight. They've rarely done that when they've released a new generation portable. The GBA Micro came out almost a year after the DS, Pokemon was still a DS game well into the life of the 3DS. All I'm saying is that I don't think there'll be a 4DS. The Switch is your 4DS.

I need to upgrade to a new DS XL as my current one is getting tired. The trouble I am having is I have a switch and I enjoy using it and I use it as a portable. The only thing I miss on the Switch is the streetpass and Mii Plaza etc. So if Nintendo added streetpass and Plaza to the switch I would probably drop the DS. Will the full Mii world eventually come to the switch is my question?

i disagree especially with the Switch being way too expensive. It's more than a PS4. I just don't see Nintendo dropping a budget system until the price goes down on the Switch which the way the economy is going won't be anytime soon. Not everyone can afford a Switch on minimum wage but most people can afford a 3DS, hence the 66 million install base.

@Pokefanmum82 That's probably the reason why they're keeping the 3DS around. Once the Switch drops to $250, or lower, I think they're going to retire the 3DS.

Nintendo has done it before. The DS was released in 2004 and the Game Boy Micro was released in 2005. Nintendo did not support the GBA for much longer but still released the Game Boy Micro nonetheless.
The 2DS is par for the course with Nintendo and I think is a pretty nice product. If I did not already own a newer 3DS, I would seriously think about getting one too.

Adjusted for inflation the 3DS at launch was about the same price as the Switch is now. Also the price gap between DSi and 3DS was similar to the price gap between 3DS and Switch. The same was true with the GBA and DS, the same was true with the GBC and GBA. The previous generation console is always the budget option early in a new console cycle. What you're saying isn't proof of anything, it's just how it's always been.

Also the install base is less important than the number of active users. What I mean by that is that the 3DS install base is about 1.6x bigger than it was in 2013 but software sales are down. Slowing software sales means a shrinking audience. When that happens usually platform holders start to look at what the next thing will be. The 3DS' software sales peaked in 2013.

And anyways, if install base and price were the only things that mattered Nintendo would only be developing games for the original DS. A console with an install base of 150mill that you can get second hand for less than 1/4 of the price of the New 2DS XL. But they didn't, they transitioned to the more expensive 3DS and started again with an install base of 0.

I think people are reading too much into Nintendo's future commitment to the 3DS line. It's more a case of eeking every last sale out of it that they can. Of course they're not going to say it's dead, just as they said the DS was the "third pillar".

I'd say it's highly unlikely they'll be a 3DS successor. Instead I think they'll be a smaller, portable-only Switch Mini of some sort. Shortly before he passed away, Iwata said that there would be a more iPhone/iPad-type relationship between consoles going forward. In that they play all the same games, but they're just in slightly different forms. Nintendo's future is Switch/Switch Mini and Mobile. A very elegant solution imo that a new 3DS just doesn't fit into (not to mention the fact that, after the 3DS, Nintendo isn't touching 3D with a barge-pole for a long time. And you could say the same with dual screens after the Wii U).

@Haywired
I agree with you almost entirely except for one point. The Switch being able to connect to a TV costs them almost nothing. Lets not kid ourselves, the dock doesn't do much and its RRP when sold separately is heavily inflated. The thing that adds cost to the Switch is making it portable. The screen and battery.

I can see a Switch Mini down the line or something similar if that's what the market wants. I can see a price drop and a cheaper SKU along the lines of the 2DS or Wii Mini. I think there's also a slim possibility of them doing a TV only Switch for a significantly lower price well into the life of the Switch. I just don't think a portable only SKU makes a lot of sense.

They could simply sell a "mini dock" separately, or a regular cable that does the same thing.

It'd be the best "plug & play".

I dunno, at least in my case I'd much more likely to buy a portable-only version than a tv-only version.

@Meowpheel
In theory sure, but what if the prices were along these lines:

32GB Regular Switch: $470AU
32GB Portable only Switch: $450AU
500GB TV only Switch: $350AU

Why would they even bother adding that much more storage to one of them (the cheapest one, of all things)? That's not a Nintendo thing to do.

@Meowpheel
Because being forced to use flash is one of the limitations of being portable. They could do something like that if they were to make a non-portable SKU. A portable only SKU on the other hand is just the Switch as it is without the dock in the box. There are no massive cost savings and no extra options available.

Even in that case, at most maybe they'd add in support for external hardrives, but still cut costs by using the exact same in-system storage as in the other versions.

Chances are they'd leave it exactly as it is, though (with support for micro sd cards only).

@Meowpheel
Well I concede I was being a bit hyperbolic. It would probably either be 500GB via a HDD at the same price or the same 32GB of flash at significantly less. But you get the idea. A non-portable SKU would be able to offer a lot more.

If you think that's crazy talk consider what the Switch is. NVidia sell what is essentially a non-portable version of the Switch already. Tegra X1, wireless AC, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 2X USB 3.0 ports, MicroSD etc, etc. One is a 16GB Flash version for $199US, the other a 500GB HDD version for $299US. If Nintendo was to put a Switch version of either of those out at those prices? I think it's fair to say some people would be interested.

Well yeah. I'd totally expect a tv-only option to be cheaper (although not by that much, since you gotta pay the Nintendo fee).

I did say I would be more likely to buy a portable-only switch than a tv-only switch, though. And that's got nothing to do with price, really, I simply have not much use for home consoles.